Tuesday, October 14, 2014

There's nothing like a man in uniform, and thirteen of today's hottest gay romance authors are celebrating military heroes and the men brave enough to love them.

These brand-new novellas feature all branches of the service and offer something for every reader. Almost 300,000 never before published words!

Character interview with Parker from Cruise Control by Kerry Adrienne

Where did you grow up?

I grew up right here in Centerville, Georgia. This land’s been in my family for generations, though that made no difference to my parents. When I was four, they took off for parts unknown and left me here with Gramma and Grandpa.

Tell us about the first time you met. Was it love at first sight?

(laughs) When I first met Blake, I thought he was the hottest man, no, hottest jerk I’d ever seen. Definitely not love at first sight, though I will admit that I admired his looks way before I ever got to know his heart.

What drew you to each other?

A car. Can you believe that?

What is your favorite part of him?

Well, besides the obvious, I love Blake’s “command voice”. He slips into it occasionally, often when he’s stressed or anxious. He’ll bark an order then realize he’s not in the service any more. I think it’s adorable.

Do you love a challenge? If so, how do you handle it?

I love mechanical challenges, not people challenges. I’ll take a broken airplane engine or car any day, but stay away from me if you’ve got drama. With a machine, I can work through issues methodically and with a good chance of success. People aren’t so simple.

What’s your favorite childhood memory?

Our family has a special place out behind the farmhouse in the woods. It’s the only place I don’t need noise to calm me. When I’m there by the stream, I’m able to wrangle problems into submission—or at least perspective.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?

When you have a family farm, you don’t take many vacations. One of the few trips I remember was to Hatteras Island. With the tall dunes, miles of beaches, and water all around—I can’t think of a better place to relax.

Excerpt from CRUISE CONTROL:

The passenger door opened and a man’s deep voice rang out, “You won’t touch it.” The man stepped out of the truck. “Unless I am directing you. Clear?”

Parker licked his lips, Maserati forgotten. Maybe if the porn magazines had men like this specimen, he’d have at least peeked. Tall and muscular, the man seemed to have stepped off the pages of his imagination.

“Did you hear me?” The man put his hands on his hips.

Parker nodded and took a wobbly step. A Maserati and a hot man? More excitement than he’d seen on a Friday night since he’d been home. Maybe ever.

The man smiled, and Parker flushed. A moment later, the smile was gone and the man was all business.

“Blake Best.” He stuck out his hand. “This is my car, Leon.”

Parker took Blake’s large hand and held on while the other man shook for both of them. He looked into Blake’s blue eyes, or were they brown? He couldn’t tell in the half-light, but whatever their color, they were framed by gorgeous dark lashes matching Blake’s cropped, dark hair.

“P-Parker Monteith.”

“Good to meet you.” Blake squeezed his hand. “I’m making it clear up front. You don’t touch my car unless I say so.”

“Hey, I gotta get to another call,” the tow truck driver yelled. “Let’s get this showboat off my truck.” He pushed a button and the truck bed squealed lower.

Parker looked down. He was still holding Blake’s hand. He pulled away and cleared his throat. “Help get this car into the garage so I can take a look.”

Blake headed to the truck bed and Parker followed. Parker couldn’t help but watch Blake’s ass. Clad in thick jeans, it was difficult to tell exactly how firm it was or its exact shape, but damn, it was the first exciting ass he’d seen in forever.

“Be careful, that’s my baby,” Blake called.

“Huh?” Parker’s face flamed, and then he realized the man was talking about the car. Oh my God, the car. It sat, or did it float, on the truck bed, a vision in creamy white with dark shadows spiraling along its side. It’s black top was closed, but Parker knew exactly what the car looked like with the top down. He stuck his hands in his pockets. Yeah, it was just a car, but oh, what a car it was.

“Stand back!” The tow truck driver unlatched the last of the wheel lashings and pushed the button to extend the winch.

“Calm down. Your precious car is fine.” The driver lowered the front end of the car then released the winch.

They pushed the car into the garage without a problem, though Blake insisted they wear cotton gloves, which he provided from the trunk. In the stark garage lights, the white car appeared even brighter, like a gleaming star, lit from within. Blake fussed over the car, running his hand along the body and cupping the headlight and squeezing.

“Sign for it.” The tow truck driver shoved his clipboard under Parker’s nose.

Parker signed for receipt of the car and the driver capped his pen and stuck it back in his pocket.

“He’s your problem now.”

Parker gathered he wasn’t talking about the car.

Blurb:

Retired soldier Blake Best drives hard—his car, his life, and his choices. Former Airman ParkerMonteith is fighting to keep his life on cruise control so he doesn’t lose it all.

One Maserati brings them together. Can Blake slow down enough to discover the important things aren't in the fast lane?

Buy links:

**INTRODUCTORY PRICE OF $0.99/77p IS ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL THE 21st OCTOBER!**

Kerry’s a mom to three daughters, six cats, and many small animals, including a panther chameleon.

In addition to writing, she’s a college instructor, artist, costumer, guitarist, and editor. Her newest love is her Mini Cooper Convertible, Sheldon, and they have already gone on many adventures together.

This was a fantastic bundle and well worth the read. There are several stories in here that I would love to see the characters revisited in full length novels. These were great teasers that whet my appetite and left me wanting more. Like with most anthologies some stories are stronger than others and the stories where the MC's had some sort of history worked better for me. The variety that you get with this bundle is incredible from all the different branches of the military, some active and some retired, some dealing with wounds and/or PTSD, there is truly something for everyone.

Cruise Control - Kerry Adrienne
So I am pretty sure that everyone that reads this story will start out thinking that Blake is an ass! He does redeem himself a bit but I had a hard time rooting for him. Parker is wonderful but so lonely it made my heart ache.Resilient Heart - Annabeth Albert
This one was definitely one where I wanted to know more. Xander has basically given up after he is injured, he is angry and scared and lashes out at everyone. But Mackay won't let him give up. Real emotions and their consequences made this a hard read but so worth it.

Arctic Fire - Kiera Andrews
This was a bit of a slow start for me but once the story got going it was over too soon. I would love to see a sequel that deals with the base opening and how Jack and Kin make their relationship work.

Storm Out - Brit Blaise
Because of the short length of these stories there isn't a lot of room for secondary characters but this one had my favorite. Cowboy's grandfather Boss was a fun character that really brought a lot to this story. I will definitely be seeking out more of the books in the series that this novella is a part of.

Civilian Master - Cassandra Carr
When I read through the blurbs for each story this is the one that jumped out at me and once again Cassandra Carr did not disappoint. Clay's need to submit reads very real. I loved the way that Flynn took him in hand but also made sure that Clay knew what he was getting into before anything started. I would love to see how their relationship grows and all the ways that Flynn brings Clay to submission.

His Guarded Heart - Lia Davis
Really loved this story from beginning to way too soon ending. Unfortunately when you are dealing with stories of this length whenever there are errors they really stand out, and this story had quite a few editing errors. Aside from that the characters were engaging and the action made for a quick read. I would love to read more about Beau and Judd and of course Angel.

Hometown Hero - Sasha Devin
JJ and Colin were adorable. This was a sweet short read that I enjoyed immensely.

Blood & Peyote - Rhi Etzweiler
I found this story interesting but a little hard to follow with the mix of, I think, Norse and American Indian rituals. This kind of information needed more than the pages it was allowed. It was beautifully written but hard to understand.

Desert Heat - Lucy Felthouse
Work romances are hard but trying to start a romance in the middle of a war zone is even harder. This was a nice story of two men possibly finding something more.

The Houseboy: Initiation - Amelia C Gormley
Wow. This one was very different from the other stories in this anthology. Intense is the first word that comes to mind. Well written but a little rough for my tastes.

The Only One Who Cares - Cat Grant
Wonderful story of an established couple who are dealing with some major life changes. Navy SEALs and diapers!

Irresistible Forces - Em Lynley
This was a new author for me but one I will most definitely be on the look out for more. Emotional and very satisfying!Flight Risk - LA Witt
Good story but it would have been so much better if it had been longer. It needed just a bit more to feel fully flushed out. I hope to read more for these characters.

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